So guest editions is installed because the screen "stretches" to fit the width of my screen instead of having scroll bars and what not for the guest os. However logging into ubuntu 11.10 unity - nothing loads. logging into ubuntu 11.10 unity 2d, every thing works.

What I posted above was wrong. I clicked help - about when posting a response to your....response to make sure that I did have version 4.1.2 and I do not have version 4.1.2 I have version 4.1.4R...(see above) - Virtual box made me do an update this morning. I installed the guest addons, how ever ubuntu 11.10 does not load the interface and hangs on loading unity when signing in to a unity based session. It then crashes. leaving me with nothing but the back ground. Before it crashes it asks me for my password so it can set up the wireless and all that.

Logging into unity 2d works flawlessly....

Again I was wrongon the version of vb I have, I have version 4.1.4R(see above).....Unity does not load it hangs and crahses, unity 2d loads perfectly.

I am also seeing similar behavior with a fresh install of Ubuntu 11.10 32bit as a guest on Virtual Box 4.1.4 and Guest Additions 4.1.4 on a Windows 7 64bit host.

Login to Ubuntu with Unity 2D works flawlessly and running the Unity 3D test “/usr/lib/nux/unity_support_test –p” shows hardware 3D working without issue. However, login with Unity (3D) results in a blank desktop with no menus, launch bar, etc…

The host computer is a Lenovo R400 with a Mobile Intel 4 Series Express Chipset video card. The Guest has 3D enabled and is running off a raw USB thumb drive. Rebooting the R400 off the thumb drive directly enables login to Ubuntu Unity (3D) without issue.

I have 3D acceleration with 64MB allocated to graphics. I can log in (I installed the desktop) to unity. when I try and open an application, such as terminal, it opens, but I can not see it on the desktop. when I click to see the different desktops, I can see the app is open in the preview of each desktop.

I installed the latest guest editions as well, so I have that as well.

When I log into Unity 2D everything works as expected.

I did upgrade from 11.04, so I thought that maybe that was the issue. I installed Ubuntu server 11.10 into a new VM, and after installing guest editions on the fresh vm, the issue described above occured. Prior to installing guest editions, I could log into unity with 3D graphics acceleration, and the apps loaded fine.

@kellyrmilligan,From what I read here the MAC and unity are not playing nicely together. It appears to be host graphic drivers that can not be updated to a version that works with the proper shaders. At least from what I have read. Now I do know that the host graphics drivers play in big time with the unity desktop. Using nVidia 8600GT with older drivers unity does not work for me either but upgrading them it does.

FutureHack wrote:I am also seeing similar behavior with a fresh install of Ubuntu 11.10 32bit as a guest on Virtual Box 4.1.4 and Guest Additions 4.1.4 on a Windows 7 64bit host.

Login to Ubuntu with Unity 2D works flawlessly and running the Unity 3D test “/usr/lib/nux/unity_support_test –p” shows hardware 3D working without issue. However, login with Unity (3D) results in a blank desktop with no menus, launch bar, etc…

The host computer is a Lenovo R400 with a Mobile Intel 4 Series Express Chipset video card. The Guest has 3D enabled and is running off a raw USB thumb drive. Rebooting the R400 off the thumb drive directly enables login to Ubuntu Unity (3D) without issue.

You have an Intel video card. That has proven to be a problem with lots of 3D capabilities in VB. E.g. Windows Guests that have Aero fail with that card as well. Unity demands quite a lot too, as noted by Perry.

Yes, it works on bare metal, because of all the additional software rendering. But in VB, things are a lot different. Especially if your Host is Windows, then OpenGL isn't completely available which is required for VB. Some calls are not available. If you had a different video card, like an ATi or nVidia, then you would most likely not have issues.

You apparently have hardware that can handle the load. Unity and gnome3 have higher requirements and they knew it going in when they decided to change. I have it working well as host and as guest but some graphics adapters just don't handle them well. You can obtain newer drivers on some of the older cards but there are some that just don't want to go to the trouble of updating the drivers for their customers.